Published 4:00 am, Thursday, August 21, 1997

Donald Brown thought he was protecting neighbors of Unocal's Rodeo refinery by following his supervisor's order to water down a chemical leak with a fire hose.

Now, a state health study confirms that the ill effects suffered by Brown and other refinery workers at the refinery, now owned by Tosco, lingered long after the 16-day leak of an odorless chemical in 1994.

"At that time, we were told that as far as the health effects were concerned, there weren't going to be any," said Brown, who said he still suffers from nausea and deteriorating eyesight. "When you get sick, you wonder how long this is going to go on."

A state report released yesterday shows that about one-third of the workers who suffered breathing difficulties, headaches and other ailments during the leak still experienced symptoms eight months later.

About two-thirds of the 546 refinery workers participated in the survey, which confirmed that those who had the most contact with the leaking chemical experienced the most and worst symptoms.

Some 200 tons of the chemical catacarb leaked from a refinery tank between Aug. 22 and Sept. 6, 1994. Refinery managers continued to operate the plant, telling county health officials that catacarb was

a relatively mild substance and that it was being contained at the plant.

Along with Unocal employees, more than 700 contract workers at the refinery were exposed to the chemical, along with thousands of people in Rodeo and nearby Crockett.

Unocal spokesman Mike Thacher said he had not seen the report and would not comment on its findings.

Unocal sold the refinery, along with the rest of its refining operations, to Tosco April 1 for $1.4 billion.

Also in April, Unocal agreed to pay $80 million to settle lawsuits brought by more than 6,000 residents of western Contra Costa County who said they had been sickened by the odorless chemical. In 1995, the company paid $3 million in civil and criminal fines after pleading guilty to 12 misdemeanor charges of creating a public nuisance and failing to notify officials of the scope of the leak.

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